The Beginning of Everything

Another nightmare, sort of. Not really? 

I was in a desert, I think. I don't really remember that much. Barely more than sensations, really.

Slipping, icy shards, sunbeams that burned to touch…

…an ice-capped mountain in the distance, topped with a tower that reached above the clouds.

Strange.

Still, He wasn't there, so it wasn't that bad. It was more disorienting than painful, this time. And it didn't last nearly as long, either. It's sort of like a weight has been lifted off my chest.

Does it help? I'm not sure. I feel a bit more well rested, lately. Perhaps my mind has acclimated to whatever made such nighttime visions worse. Or perhaps this is the calm before the storm.

Oh well. I slept most of the night this time, the longest in weeks.

I'll take what I can get. I actually feel… pretty good.

Hopefully it lasts this time.

-=-

Shuna had a problem.

Two problems, actually. And oddly enough, they both were related to Tanya.

The first problem stemmed from Tanya's terrible schedule. The idiotic, workaholic woman didn't get enough sleep, and still worked throughout the day on a variety of projects. It was unhealthy, and frustrating, and saddening in equal measures.

But it also wasn't an easy or a quick fix. The issues there were clearly deep rooted and required a delicate touch, so Shuna had to content herself with doing damage control and roping in Mary as a fellow exasperated confidant.

It was a work in progress, and it wasn't pretty. But that didn't bother Shuna.

It wasn't rotten work at all. And it was a manageable problem, because Tanya had been getting better about it, as of late.

Now, about Shuna's second problem. This one was also related to Tanya. And unlike the first problem, which was at least partially out of everyone's control, this problem was fully Tanya's fault.

You see, Tanya and Shuna's relationship... well, they didn't exactly go shouting out to the rooftops about it. It wasn't even really a relationship, as they both were fully aware.

One of the reasons Shuna appreciated Tanya so much was because the woman treated her like a person herself, rather than like a princess or a little sister to look after.

No, Tanya didn't treat her like that at all.

And it was fantastic.

Shuna didn't mind it. To say so would be a lie, and Shuna was not a liar.

It had been made fairly clear to herself and Tanya that she quite enjoyed that sort of treatment and encouraged much more of the same. It was almost worrying how much she enjoyed it, actually, but that wasn't really a problem at the end of the day.

Tanya was stronger than she appeared, even without that tantalizing buzz of pure magic flowing just under her skin, and far be it for Shuna to deny the other woman to opportunity for a bit of manhandling, especially when said manhandling made Shuna want to-

Well, let's not delve too deep into that, lest the story's rating need to be raised.

So you see, Tanya was at fault. Totally. Irrevocably. After all, it's not like the markings along her collarbone and other intimately associated areas formed by themselves, did they?

And believe or not, this had become an issue. For you see, dear reader, Shuna had let her guard down.

It wasn't her own fault. It wasn't. Nope. She was distracted, that's all. She'd only just returned from accompanying Lord Rimuru and Shion on a diplomatic liaison with King Gazel in Dwargon.

Managing the political affairs of a new and rapidly growing nation such as Tempest was an incredibly stressful affair, it need not be said. Doubly so when the Lord of Tempest had no experience in such matters and needed heavy advising until such a time that the slime well and truly grew – matured – into the role.

The process was expedited further by Tanya, bless her soul, who insisted upon and forced Rimuru's maturation as a leader via her own swift grasp of Tempest's power structure and subsequent teachings based on experience. Rimuru was seen as the strongest in the nation of monsters and the leader, thus he needed to be the strongest and lead. 

She was almost like Tempest's backup leader, in a way. Arguably on a level approaching Rimuru's – or at least, inarguably close – and bearing all the characteristics and experiences necessary for an effective and efficient leader…

However, for as helpful as Tanya was as an advisor and the quote unquote "straight man" of Tempest, she also had not accompanied them to Dwargon for various reasons. Thus, the responsibility of the "straight man" fell to Shuna's shoulders, as the one once born and raised to become an effective and powerful princess.

It's not like Shion was going to take up those reigns any time soon.

It went well, all things considered. That wasn't the issue. The issue itself was a result.

Naturally, upon returning to Tempest, Shuna simply had to meet with her stress-relieving companion after being away for nearly two weeks. So what if she was being greedy? It was her life, and she would enjoy it however she wanted.

That last part was important, just so you know.

Because, while this issue had arisen solely due to Tanya's actions, the only reason it was actually a problem that had to be dealt with at all, was because of her brother, Benimaru.

Here's the thing.

Shuna had forgotten. Once.

Just once, she'd forgone masking the presence of the marks, whether by healing them – the less preferred of the two options, in either parties' eyes – or by simply covering them up. In the winter, the latter option was remarkably easy, and as such had been her go-to.

But she'd forgotten to do so, just this one time.

Naturally, this was Tanya's fault as well.

-=-

Shuna yawned as she stepped out of Tanya's room, a borrowed wardrobe consisting of a loose white t-shirt and black boy shorts undergarments, alongside a familiar and slightly roughed up green jacket.

She hadn't even bothered to put her arms through the sleeves, the jacket worn over her shoulders alone with one hand stuck inside one of the inner pockets. The other hand lowered from her mouth, her yawn disappearing as the smell of something delicious drifted towards her.

"What is…" Shuna blinked the sleepiness from her eyes, her eyesight quickly adjusting to the low light of very early morning. "Tanya?"

"Hm?" Tanya turned her head, "Oh, hello Shuna."

Shuna padded over to the small kitchenette her lover was currently working in.

"Good morning." She said, stopping a few steps away.

"Right, good-" Tanya looked back to the kitchenette, hiding a yawn of her own with a with the motion. "-morning. Ah, here we go."

Tanya did something Shuna couldn't quite see, before turning around fully, two steaming mugs in hand.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked.

Shuna narrowed her eyes. "I should be asking you that."

The dark circles under her lover's eyes were still notable, if a bit reduced.

"I slept fine." Tanya paused, quickly drinking from one of the mugs, "Better than usual, actually. And you?"

"Great, as always. And you know why."

"I couldn't begin to guess."

"Right." Shuna rolled her eyes good naturedly, "Because you wouldn't have to guess at all."

"True. I was there." Tanya held out the still full mug, a small smile on her face, "Here. A little project of mine. I've been practicing."

"Is it that good?" Shuna took the mug, "You're in such an upbeat mood, it's odd."

"A bad sort of odd?" Tanya drew deeply from her own mug.

"No, it's a good thing." Shuna raised the drink to her lips, taking a sip. She paused. "…Have you been holding out on me, darling?"

"Uh, 'darling'?"

Tanya blinked, then blinked again as Shuna took a much longer draw from her mug. She shook her head, quickly finishing her own already half-empty drink and setting it on the counter behind her. Shuna, meanwhile, after draining half in those sips, elected to savor the rest of her own.

"Aah…" Shuna let out a satisfied sigh, her mug nearly empty despite her belated savoring attempt. Her eyes fluttered shut as she basked in the taste languishing across her tongue.

"Shuna."

"Hm?"

A hand gripped her chin lightly, a smooth warmth pressing itself against her lips before she could react.

Huh?!?!

Shuna's eyes shot open, right as Tanya began to pull away.

"Wh-" Her face went bright red, fitting in brilliantly against her pink hair.

Tanya let out an amused huff, her face stopped just centimeters away.

"Huh. I guess I am in a good mood." She pulled away, letting go of Shuna's chin and reaching down, gently pulling her jacket off of her lover's shoulders.

"I've got to meet up with Rimuru now, so I'll see you later." Tanya pulled threw the jacket over her own shoulders, her boots tapping lightly against the floor as she made her way towards the door.

Shuna stayed there, frozen in place and splashed with a crimson blush up to her ears, the mug in her hands slowly cooling in its forgotten state.

Mary's door slid open.

"Did someone make coffee?"

-=-

A bit of explanation is necessary here.

Tanya and Shuna had been sharing… intimate experiences together for a few months now. That much was obvious. And in that time, that's all their relationship had really been. They weren't a real couple.

Again, it wasn't a real relationship, as both women had been fully aware of upon entering this… mutually, incredibly beneficial stress-relieving arrangement, and as had been early stated.

Except now… Tanya had kissed her.

Tanya had kissed her.

Shuna couldn't really be blamed for being a bit distracted.

See? It wasn't her fault at all.

Still, you forget to wear your scarf one time.

The issue here – or at least, the issue she was choosing to focus on rather than the status of her and Tanya's arrangement/relationship – is that Shuna happens to have a very protective older brother. One who, somehow or someway, had not already known his precious, princess (literally) of a little sister had entered a relationship.

So, when her brother noticed one such aforementioned mark along the side of her neck, whilst showing a remarkable lack of his usual density, he had obviously demanded to know who had dared to do such a thing.

That he would murder the culprit post haste was obvious.

Well, he would at least attempt to do so, once he found out exactly the person responsible. Such was the whim of an overprotective brother.

Shuna, of course, was not so easily cowed. She stood strong.

"It's none of your business." She said. And she was right, of course.

But it seems Shuna underestimated the power of that overprotective older brother.

Benimaru may be an idiot sometimes. No one with common sense and a distinct lack of idiocy challenged a Demon Lord, even if Carrion was on good terms with Tempest now and took it as the sporting challenge it was, rather than as an insult.

He may lack in certain areas… but he certainly wasn't stupid.

-=-=-=-

Morning

Assembly Hall

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

Mary fiddled with her belt as she strolled through the halls. 

She pushed back on her katana's handle the slightest bit, tugging at her belt slightly to get it in just the right position. It had taken a minute to get used to her newest outfit, curtesy again of Shuna's expert handiwork.

Really, she was still getting used to it a bit, though it wasn't really all that different from her last. Her white half cloak had been replaced by an unbuttoned overcoat of a comfortable deep blue, the sleeves rolled up with the black cuffs sitting just beyond her elbows. Her long sleeve shirt was different too, white instead of black and with the top button left undone.

The black pants and white boots remained from her previous attire, though curved and blackened magisteel of the same variety as on Tanya's forearm bracers covered her boots' toes and heels, alongside the knuckles of a pair of blue fingerless gloves hanging from her belt on her right side, the sheathe to her katana slid through her belt on her left.

Honestly… she felt cool.

Tanya had even given her a nod of approval and a thumbs up when she saw it, so for some reason Mary now felt like wearing only this outfit for the rest of her life.

A bit of an odd feeling, honestly.

Should wear the sheathe on the outside of the coat? That's how Rimuru's is, kept on a rope. I'd have to change my unsheathing form a bit though-

"You."

"Hm?" Mary stopped, a hand pressing down on her shoulder.

"Mary." The hand tugged, turning her around and revealing an oddly solemn Benimaru. "I have a very important question to ask you."

...okay.

"Okay." Mary repeats aloud. "Is something wrong, Benimaru? You look-"

"Like you're about to either keel over or kill someone" Probably wasn't the right thing to say then.

"…kinda like you're about to keel over or kill someone." But never let it be said that tact or subtlety were Mary's strong suits.

Benimaru, blessedly, thankfully, didn't acknowledge it.

"Are you in a relationship with my sister?"

Mary blinked. "Come again?"

"Are you," Benimaru grabbed her other shoulder, his voice tinging on desperation, "in a relationship with Shuna?"

Where did this come from?

"No, I'm not."

"Damn." Benimaru let go of her shoulders, dropping his head.

He seemed tired, Mary noted.

"…Have you been asking everyone that question?"

"What?" Benimaru lifted his head, "No, of course not. Only the most likely candidates."

"And that would be…" Mary made a "go-on" gesture. She was curious, now.

"I asked Souei, first, then I checked with Lord Rimuru. And now, you."

"Only three people? Why do you look so tired-" Mary paused, "Wait, if you already saw Souei, Tanya was probably with him, right?"

"I met with Souei first." Benimaru straightened up, "About an hour ago, after breakfast. Tanya wasn't there- wait."

He narrowed his eyes, his big brother sense laser-focused ever since this morning.

"Why mention Tanya, specifically?" An odd light seemed to enter his eyes, as if he were planning something.

I may have made a mistake.

-=-

I'll apologize later.

Mary opened the door to Rimuru's office.

Wait, no I won't. I just won't say anything. Yeah, that's the right move for sure.

"Who- oh, hey Mary." Rimuru looked up from his maps for a second, then did a double take. "Oh, nice outfit! Special occasion? Your old outfit get ruined in that Xerxes business or something?"

"Not really." Mary tapped the door shut with the back of her boot, before strolling further into the room. "Just changing things up. Shuna wanted to test a new jacket template and I wanted something a little different."

She stopped just in front of Rimuru's desk, glancing down as she continued.

Ingrassia?

"I still need to talk with Kurobe about a side weapon, though. I can't keep borrowing Tanya's combat knives all the time."

"Why not?"

"I mean, I can. She keeps letting me borrow them. But still." Mary shook her head, "Anyway, what do you got going on here?"

"Nothing major." Rimuru ran a hand across the map's surface, "Just… reminiscing, thinking about my next steps and all that. Milim left a few days ago, and I remembered…"

His fingers paused momentarily, hovering over that same place Mary noted earlier. Abruptly, he pulled his hand back, clapping it together with his other.

"Well, never mind that. What can I do for you, Mary?"

Interesting. I wonder…

"I was sort of thinking along the lines of, what can I do for you, Rimuru?" Mary pointed down at the map, "So, what can I do for you? Maybe lend an ear to what has you looking like somebody died?"

Mary paused.

"Er, did somebody die? That might come off as insensitive if they did."

"No, no one died. Not recently, anyway." Rimuru waved her off. He stared down at the map for a beat, biting his lip, "Hm… you and Tanya weren't here yet… yeah, okay."

He gestured for his own chair, before slipping into slime form and bouncing on top of his desk, absorbing the map as he landed on it. Mary made her way around the desk, sitting down comfortably.

"Okay. I'd like to get more opinions on this, so," Rimuru drew himself up, as if taking in a breath. "Let me tell you about someone named Shizue Izawa…"

-=-=-=-

That Afternoon

Clearing near Northern Training Field

(Now informally/humorously dubbed the "Gravity Field" by Tanya)

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"Again."

"Ugh…" Mary extended the groan until she ran out of air.

Tanya would admit to being impressed by how long it took, but only in her head.

"Come on. You're the one that forgot how to fly, so you're the one that has to work to relearn."

"This isn't relearning." Mary said, pushing herself off the ground and back to her feet, "This is a completely different thing, so it's just learning."

"You're arguing over nothing. It's flying. You could fly once, and now you can't. You are relearning how to fly." Tanya crossed her arms, "End of argument. Try again."

Mary opened her mouth to argue.

"Try to fly again." Tanya interrupted, "Not try your argument again."

"Fair enough." Mary dusted herself off, then closed her eyes.

The magic inside her roamed. It was neither hot, nor cold. It was itself, and nothing more.

Tanya had described magic differently. Almost as a river, flowing unhindered and clear everywhere at once. The water burned hot and froze cold in equal measures, buzzing underneath her skin and filling the hollows of her bones and the in-betweens of her joints with liquid electricity.

It was every sensation at once. It was power given form, and thus, feeling.

It felt incredible.

Magic felt differently to everyone, Mary realized.

Mary's was a storm.

It washed over and about, the middle of the ocean rolling and heaving under its own weight. The water flowed, and rose, and fell, and drenched everything in sight. From her gut and her heart, it channeled out, cresting and crashing on its way.

It, too, felt incredible. And, at the worst of times, utterly uncontrollable.

Today was neither the best of times nor the worst of them. The ocean, the storm, they merely were.

She could work with that.

Mary dove in.

Imagine your magic and grasp it.

A difficult enough visualization, given her magic's volatile nature.

Then, bend it to your will-

"This time," Tanya said, her voice sounding far away, "I want you to try something. Don't think about trying to fly. Instead, think about how it felt to fly."

Tanya made an odd face at her own words, though Mary didn't see it.

Operating by feel of all things? How far she'd fallen to suggest such a thing.

…No, it was only rational to make such a suggestion. Everyone operated differently, and trying to force Mary to fit her own methods would only hinder the both of them, as teacher and student. Even if it left an odd taste in her mouth, specifically telling Mary, a highly passionate young woman, to operate on feeling before thought wasn't too terrible.

Perhaps it showed to Tanya's own growth, that she would even acknowledge the usefulness of encouraging emotion-based actions over purely rationale-based ones, much less actively encourage them in one of her students.

"Just focus on the feeling of flight. Remember the emotional high, the weightless drop in your gut, the bounce of magic against air." Ugh. In for a penny… "…And of course, the absolute joy and freedom to be found in the open air."

Tanya had only ever admitted to one person just how much she enjoyed the ability to fly. It was one of the few things in any of her lives that she would allow herself to truly get lost in, assuming there were no external factors at play.

There truly was nothing quite like the absolute freedom it provided; it was a unique sensation all of its own. Something her adjutant, her confidant, had agreed with her on, before making a somewhat tactless remark about other unique sensations.

Not that it hadn't worked, but that wasn't the point here.

"Don't think, Sue. Feel."

Tanya almost felt like throwing up saying that.

Right method for the right person, the right method for the right person…

The thought was a small consolation.

Mary didn't respond verbally, her only acknowledgment coming from a slight tensing, then near immediate relaxation of her shoulders.

For a moment, nothing happened at all. Several moments, in fact.

It looked like this attempt would end like the others so far-

Tanya raised an eyebrow, as Mary's magic underneath her Magic Sense calmed and smoothed over a noticeable amount.

The right method indeed.

The air picked up slightly, a faint breeze blowing up from the area around Mary's feet.

Then, she lifted off the ground.

A little bit. A barely visible amount, really.

Mary opened her eyes.

"I- I'm flying?" She looked down, stretching legs down and not hitting the ground. A short laugh bubbled out of her, "I'm- I am! Tanya, look! I'm flying again!"

And just like that, the spell was broken. Mary fell back down, slipping slightly on the landing and falling on her backside. She didn't let that damper her spirits, however, getting quickly to her feet with a wide smile.

"Did you see that?" Mary grinned, "I was actually flying again!"

"Mmm."

Tanya held a quick internal debate. To be nice, or…

"You were barely floating." The desire to be an asshole won out, easily. "It wasn't that impressive."

Honestly, it wasn't. Barely floating above the grass for just a few seconds? In no world could you call a former flight mage impressive for a such an unremarkable feat.

She was just being brutally honest… in a way that internally amused her.

Tanya had her own vices, sometimes. 

"Alright, dick. At least it's something." Mary rolled her eyes, not hurt in the slightest, "I bet when I learn that teleport magic, you'll say like 'Well, she still can't fly' or something."

"That's hilarious. I hadn't thought about that," Tanya wasn't lying. Sometimes, she wondered if Mary realized just how much ammunition she herself provided Tanya with, "but I will absolutely do that now, thank you."

"Well, shit. That one's my fault I guess."

"But, you're right. It is improvement, if a very unimpressive amount." Tanya held up a half-hearted thumb-up, "Good job, Sue. Keep it up, and some day you'll be able to fly with the penguins."

"Penguins can't fly."

"Obviously."

Mary stared at Tanya.

Tanya stared back.

"…Call me Mary."

"What?" That threw Tanya off a bit.

"You keep calling me Sue. But we're friends now, so call me Mary."

Tanya raised an eyebrow, "You sure about that?"

"What, do you not think we're friends or something?" Mary's voice had an odd lilt to it.

Tanya recognized the tone. Insecurity. Oops.

Sometimes she forgot others weren't like her. But she was getting better about it.

"I just thought it was obvious enough without words." She shrugged, stepping forward and raising her hand. "But I suppose now we're officially, irrevocably friends."

Her hand landed atop Mary's head, patting it once then dropping away.

I suppose she is due for some genuine positivity from her mentor figure.

"And since we're friends, I don't mind saying this." Tanya smiled, "Good work today. I'm proud of your progress, Mary."

It wasn't even a fake smile, Tanya realized after the fact. And she wasn't lying at all. Those words had been entirely genuine, and with her stated pride following suit.

How odd.

Tanya blinked.

"Uh, Mary?" The others girl's face had gone red. "Are you alright?"

The answer to that question was a resounding no.

But before either of them could pursue this line of conversation further, a sudden yell caught their attention.

"TANYA!!!"

Tanya looked over at the sound, raising an eyebrow as Benimaru ran towards them.

"Just go along with it." His voice echoed in her mind.

Her brow furrowed.

What?

As a result, she didn't see the mild look of panic on Mary's face.

"Benimaru?" She turned fully to face him, as he skid to a halt a few feet away. "Did you need me for something?"

"You-" Benimaru caught his breath quickly, standing up straight and pointing directly at her with a furious look in his eye, "How dare you!"

"If this is about Rimuru tricking you into eating Shion's food again, you should know I had nothing to do with it." Tanya lied as easily as she breathed.

It was simple question, really. Could Rimuru's Gluttony be activated from other points on his body? The answer, at least regarding his uvula, is yes. Using that to eat Shion's… poison, since food isn't applicable here, is just the next logical decision. Right? But Benimaru doesn't need to know that.

"How dare- what?" Benimaru blinked, then shook his head whilst ignoring a shudder, "I will remember that, but no, that doesn't matter right now. What matters right now is what you've done to my sister!"

Huh. So, that's the angle, is it?

Tanya blinked.

"Could you… elaborate? I'm not sure I'm following."

"You… and my sister… my innocent little sister. You're at fault, aren't you!"

Realization slowly dawned across Tanya's expression.

The overprotective brother spiel. Alright.

"My dear sister, to sweet, so kind and innocent…" Benimaru clenched his fist, a singular tear of manly, righteous rage rolling down his cheek, "And I, her older brother, none the wiser. I should be ashamed of myself."

You are joking right now. This isn't real.

"But you!" Benimaru snarled, somehow still 'doing this' and continuing his rant of brotherly fury, "You're the one who put those marks on her, are you not? Shame on me for my negligence, certainly, but shame on you a thousand times more!"

"I-" This was a genuine first. This had never come up before, and never in any of Tanya's lives had she considered anything near this situation as a potential occurrence. But damn if it wasn't an interesting scenario, all things considered, "I think- no, you definitely are overreacting, Benimaru. First of all, those marks; they're just… natural results of our activities. If you're even thinking about accusing me of intentionally hurting-"

"No, of course not. You are a valued member and someone Lord Rimuru trusted implicitly. I would never accuse you of such a thing."

Benimaru was deathly serious as he said this, quickly transitioning back into his passionate rage immediately after. Tanya would have gotten mental whiplash from the rapid tone shifting had she not already been aware of something very important about this conversation.

"Your admittedly mutual actions with Shuna have tarnished my sister's innocence! In the name of her honor, and as her older brother and as the stand-in patriarch of my family, I demand recompense. Fight me, Tanya von Degurechaff. Prove to me that you deserve the hand of the Kijin princess, of my little sister."

That's… an incredibly outdated mindset to have. Even if this is some sort of convoluted attempt at a joke.  

Tanya forced herself to sigh. "Listen, Benimaru. This is ridiculous-"

"No more talking. I've stated my demand." Benimaru extended his arm once more, his palm glowing with a flickering black flame, "Prove yourself worthy, and I won't kill you for this transgression. Or, abandon your ambitions and pray on hands and knees for forgiveness from the Kijin clan."

The flame in Benimaru's hand flickered, swirling lazily in the breeze.

Tanya took a deep breath.

"…There is no being in any world that would ever willingly make me pray, for anything. Much less an issue as stupid and asinine as this one; an issue in which no part is at fault, and as such requires none of this imbecilic behavior you have exhibited thus far."

"Imbecilic? I'm merely fulfilling my duties as the head of the surviving Kijin clan. A tarnished honor requires polishing, whether through apology or other recompense." Benimaru's glare sharpened, a dangerous smirk splitting his expression, "But, I will admit… this is coming more than just from my position. I am an older brother, you know."

"What you are is a fucking idiot." She meant that, really. No matter the intentions behind their conversation. Tanya raised her own hand, her palm pointing directly at Benimaru's own. "But I can see you won't listen to reason, so I won't bother trying. I'll just have beat that reason back into your stubborn skull by force."

"We'll see. I've grown much stronger since you arrived all those months ago." Benimaru frowned, the shadows dancing menacingly across the lines of his face.

Tanya's eyes narrowed, then flashed, shards of teal magic spreading around her eyes.

"Ignite."

They were too close to even bother dodging one another. The only answer at such a range was to meet force with force, as both were well aware.

Neither of them noticed Mary quickly making her way out of the area, running off quickly to find someone who could easily put a stop to this mess.

Or rather, they pretended not to notice her.

The two smirked at one another, as if sharing a joke.

"Hell Flare!"

"Babylon."

FWOOOOOOM!!!

-=-=-=-

Around the Same Time

Central Plaza

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"Ah, Shuna!"

"Lord Rimuru." Shuna inclined her head, a gentle smile on her face and a warm, dark green scarf wrapped around her neck and upper shoulders. "Did you need me for anything?"

"Nothing too serious." Rimuru's jogged slowed to a halt, "I wanted to get your consultation on a few local records King Gazel lent us."

"Of course." She nodded, "Is this a time sensitive issue?"

"No, not at all. Just a bit of curiosity on my part." Rimuru tilted his head, "Say, I've never seen you with a scarf like that. Trying out new fashion before the winter chill fully leaves us?"

"It's Tanya's, actually."

"That makes sense. She's pretty fond of that shade of green, isn't she?"

Shuna nodded.

Rimuru tilted his head, "Although… why would you have Tanya's scarf?"

"She lent it to me. For whenever I had need of it, as she put it."

"I see, I see." Rimuru paused, a teasing tone filling his voice, "You two are pretty close to be sharing clothes. When's the-"

FWOOOOOOM!!!

Just then, a twisting inferno roared in the distance, an incredible, scarcely controlled mass of blue and black-ish purple flame swirling and dancing in the air.

It was barely visible to the naked eye from where they were, the distance and deep colors keeping the combined attacks relatively low key, all things considered. Most did not even noticed it, and those that did wrote it off as a particularly intense bout of training from a few of Tempest's higher ups.

They had some real monsters, don't you know?

To Rimuru and Shuna, however, it was anything but subtle.

Those two sets of interweaving flame were very familiar. And the echo of a magic signature that followed like a shockwave was even more so.

"Benimaru-!"

"-and Tanya!"

Rimuru and Shuna exclaimed, eyes wide.

It was possible that even they would write it off as a mere training incident gone explosive.

That is to say, they would write it off if they weren't already aware of a certain potentially volatile situation revolving around Benimaru and Tanya.

Rimuru knew, because he'd both been interrogated by Benimaru early that day, and because he'd accidentally walked in on Shuna and Tanya in the midst of having a certain set of salacious actions… okay, fine, he'd walked in on them making out and missing a good amount of clothing in Tanya's office; dancing around that with fancy wordplay was getting a bit old.

Personally, Rimuru thought the lecture and verbal berating from Shuna and Tanya respectively was a tad overboard a reaction. It's not like he hadn't seen them in a similar state before, even if the former had been in the onsen.

Rimuru was, however, intelligent enough to not voice this objection of his aloud. No matter his occasional idiotic impulses, he was not at all suicidal. And, even without Great Sage's help, Rimuru knew for certain that even barley hinting at his thoughts there would be nothing more or less than signing his own death warrant.

So yes, Rimuru was aware that the tornado of fire was probably not just a training incident.

Shuna knew something else was likely occurring, because of obvious reasons that had been made exceptionally apparent already.

Needless to say, it didn't take more than half a second for both to bolt in the direction of the disturbance.

-=-

To say this fight was a fierce one, a battle of high magnitude that bordered on the realm of life and death with every swipe of the sword and blast of magic…

Yes, to say all of that, would be one thing.

One thing in particular: a lie.

BOOM

The field shook beneath them.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Tanya ducked under the next punch, darting forward and shoulder checking Benimaru's chest.

He blasted back, flipping and landing on his feet. His hand flew up mid-flip, blackish-purple flames licking his fingers.

"Flare!"

Tanya threw up her active barrier, the massive ball of flame crashing into it, washing over, and covering her field of view.

"Hm." She dismissed the barrier, flying to the side to avoid a follow up fire ball.

CLANG!

The sound clashing swords. Tanya looked back.

"You'll need better tricks than that one, Benimaru."

Benimaru jumped back, switching his nodachi to one hand. He shook out his now free hand, wincing slightly. 

"It would have worked." He argued, pointing, "If you didn't have that thing."

Tanya turned around fully. Floating at just around head height was the black blade of her sword, Seizon, half-extended out of her pocket space.

"Would have, should have, could have. They don't matter in a real fight, so go ahead and get rid of that habit right here and now. That's not a mindset the Commander-in-Chief- hm?"

Tanya tilted her head.

Benimaru paused, then shook his head.

"Lord Rimuru tried to contact you?" He said, refocusing after a moment.

Tanya blinked, refocusing as well.

"He did."

"And you ignored him?"

"You realize I'm going to put all of the blame for this on you, correct?" Tanya deadpanned, "But yes, since you're so insistent on this, I sent him to voicemail."

"Voicemail?"

"You know what, never mind." Tanya held up her hand, palm facing out. "Ignite-"

This battle was anything except for fierce, or life-threatening. It was a spar at most, and a warmup – literally, given all the fire magic being thrown around – and learning session depending on who you were looking at.

Tanya had a harsh limit on the number of Victory or Valhalla battles she would allow herself to be a part of. Were this current conflict anything more than a mutual façade, she would have ended it before it even began.

Benimaru couldn't beat her. He was far from Octavius Valentin, in terms of pure power output and danger. His upside, and indeed what made this little practical-joke-in-the-making of theirs even mildly entertaining, was that while his power lagged behind others she'd fought, his skill and battle intelligence more than helped him fill that gap.

Just look at his move from earlier. Obscuring her vision, not going for the obvious follow up option and attempting to attack from a blind spot. Were he on the level of Octavius in terms of power, the only reason she wouldn't be worried is because she'd already be dead.

But, he was not, and thus his attempts at making her actually break a sweat were for naught. It didn't matter that his skill the blade easily surpassed her own. That mattered little. At no point died Tanya believe her sword skills were anything more than above average.

It was her style of swordplay that made Seizon in her hands so deadly; not the ability to wield it on the level of Hakurou, Benimaru, or even Mary and Rimuru. They could do what they liked with their fancy movements and two slashes with one movement. All she needed was one slash in the first place, cut in the most efficient path such that she would only need that one slash, and no more.

Her willingness to fight unorthodox, perhaps a bit paradoxical as that might seem to the just explained style, allowed for clever tricks such as shoving just the blade of her sword out of the pocket space she normally kept it, just in time for the perfect defensive action.

Hm.

Couldn't she shove the entirety of Seizon out of the space, then? The blade had come out rather quickly. Even more than she'd intended, in truth. Bringing the sword out right as she approached, when her opponent was expecting a punch rather than a slash...

Perhaps she could even shoot the sword itself out, like a projectile.

Why did that feel like a familiar concept? That sounded like some sort of manga or anime power. Something to think more on later, no doubt.

The point of all this has been digressed from, just a bit.

The point, and the reason Tanya could allow herself to muse over such things even while in the midst of combat, was that this fight was not real.

She would have ended it already were it real, as already mentioned.

You see, this was merely a drama. A play, in which they were the actors, the field was the stage, and the audience had yet to arrive. And, unlike what hers and Benimaru's soon-audience would expect, this drama of theirs was not at all a Tragedy.

No one was dying here, on the recently dubbed Gravity Field.

Not today.

Today, a different story was being told.

And as one of the actors, Tanya couldn't help but be amused, just the slightest bit.

If only because all of the backlash for this particular drama would fall solely on her fellow actor's shoulders. And that alone was enough to make her play along.

Benimaru though he was pulling one over on his sister. She'd hidden something so very important from her family, and that merited some sort of backlash, yes?

Well, he'd be allowed his prank. This was a good learning opportunity for him.

It was a win for everyone, in the end.

Well, mostly her. Her coworker would improve both in combat and as a person, and meanwhile she was getting all of the entertainment of the situation and none of the backlash.

Who would turn down a deal with such a blatantly positive potential return?

-=-

"Come on, they're right over here!"

It was debatable whether or not running into Mary had slowed down or sped up Shuna and Rimuru journey towards Tanya Benimaru Ground Zero. Rimuru couldn't fly holding two people – well, he could actually, but it would awkward for all of them – and thus the time it would have taken him to reach the earlier commotion was probably extended.

Then again, Mary did know exactly where Tanya and Benimaru were, and also knew what had caused the situation itself having been beside Tanya just before the massive, surprisingly controlled column of flame went up.

…Also, if Rimuru left Shuna behind for this particular incident – at all, and especially after hearing Mary's explanations as they sprinted that way – there was little doubt Rimuru would be sitting on the end of a nasty glare and or lecture himself once it was all said and done.

It was hard to find a win in this scenario.

The fact that Tanya and Benimaru were deliberately ignoring Rimuru's attempts at contact via Thought Communication was really just icing on the cake.

"Just up ahead," Mary called back.

Damn she's fast. Am I out of shape? Rimuru frowned. Can I even be out of shape, when I can be any shape?

"Tanya and Benimaru are-"

FWOOOOOM!

A flash of blue and purple, alongside a massive magic signature.

"Never mind." Mary slowed to a halt, next to a tree just outside the clearing. She pointed. "Shuna, your turn to lead."

Rimuru blinked.

"Shouldn't it be-"

"Got it!" Shuna went ahead of them.

I guess I'm just moral support? It doesn't matter.

Rimuru shook his head, rushing right behind her. Mary did not move to follow.

What matters is stopping…

He stopped, taking in the scene before him a more than a little confusion.

…the… fight?

In the middle of the obviously scorched and battle-torn field, Tanya and Benimaru stood, animatedly discussing something he couldn't make out from this distance.

What?

"What?" Shuna muttered exactly what Rimuru was thinking, herself frozen in place in surprise just the same as he was.

Up ahead, Tanya and Benimaru started laughing, something Benimaru had said apparently being an incredible joke of some kind. After a few seconds, Tanya appeared to settle down a bit, saying something in response that had the odd duo laughing all over again.

Somewhat stunned, Shuna and Rimuru could only watch as Tanya and Benimaru turned, apparently only just noticing them and deciding to walk over.

"Lord Rimuru, Shuna." Benimaru nodded as he and Tanya pulled within a few steps away. His brow furrowed, "Is something wrong? You seem to be a bit out of sorts right now. Did Shion get to you with her cooking again?"

"Er- no." Rimuru blinked. "Alright, I'll admit. I'm confused."

"About what?" Benimaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"About what he says." Shuna chose then to jump in. She stepped forward, shoving her hand forward and poking him angrily, "Don't play dumb, brother. What the hell were you doing? Why were you and Tanya fighting?"

"Fighting? I'm not sure what you mean, sister. We were just sparring and having a discussion."

"I told you not to play dumb!" Oh, now she was actually angry. "You attacked her, didn't you! Just because you have this stupid notion of protecting me and treating me like glass doesn't mean I'll allow you to just-"

"Wait, wait!" Benimaru held up his hand, a bit of genuine worry for his own wellbeing slipping through, "I'm being serious! We were just sparring and talking! Tanya's been a loyal member of Tempest, and a friend, since she arrived. You don't honestly think I'd attack her over something so stupid, right?"

He looked to the side, to his so far silent partner-in-prank.

"Tell her, Tanya."

Alright, now it was Tanya's turn.

"He's lying."

"Huh?!?!" It was in that moment Benimaru realized he'd been betrayed.

Or rather, she'd never intended to truly work with him from the start. Why would she? Even if this little prank went perfectly, she'd still get hit with some of the backlash. At the very least, Shuna wouldn't be able to solely focus her anger and annoyance on her brother.

This way, Tanya secured her lover's sympathy and fully directed any backlash at her fellow actor and got a front row seat to potentially the most entertaining scene Tempest had seen in weeks. A win, a win, and a win. All for her, of course.

How's that for positive return?

"He interrupted Mary and I's training session, yelling some nonsense about protecting his little sister's honor and proving my worth." Tanya shrugged, acting for all the world as if she wasn't digging a metaphorical knife into Benimaru's heart, "It was ridiculous, but I went along with it since he didn't seem like backing down. The reason you saw us acting so amiably is because I won, which means I'm apparently more than worthy of marking the Kijin princess. So, take that how you will."

It would have been insane to think of Benimaru saying such a thing at practically any other point, in any other circumstance.

But it seemed he had dug himself an incredibly deep hole starting this morning, and only further exasperated by Tanya's willingness to throw dirt atop his soon to be corpse.

A hole that would end up being six-feet-under, if Shuna's positively arctic glare meant anything. Rimuru also looked less than amused, which certainly didn't mean anything good for him either.

Oh boy.

Back in the tree line, Mary ducked behind a tree, covering her mouth to smother her laughter.

She hadn't quite known what to expect when Tanya had sent "Don't worry, it's not actually serious. Go find Shuna or Rimuru" via Thought Communication, right as she was making her way out of the clearing, but this certainly surpassed any expectation she might have had.

The follow up, "Hey, want to see a dead body?" as Benimaru was explaining himself to Shuna and just before Tanya threw him under the bus was just the icing on the- no, no even the icing. It was the cherry on top of it all.

Of course, of this concealed laughter and the absurd situation at hand made Mary forget that she'd been meaning to talk to Tanya about something fairly important that had recently come up. Something that wasn't related to Benimaru or her magic training… but hey, it probably wouldn't be an issue.

You know because these things never became sources of future conflict or anything, right?

-=-=-=-=-=-

Known Skills List

Tanya:

Common Skill: Thought Communication

Extra Skill: Flames of Babylon

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra Skill: Voice of the World Communication

Unique Skill: Tetra Breaker

Mary:

Extra Skill: Magic Sense

Extra Skill: Magic Aura

Extra/Intrinsic Skill: Physical Enhancement

Unique Skill: Ability Severance

-=-=-=-=-=-